The Principia
Interoffice Correspondence
To: The Principia Community
Fm: Stuart Jenkins, CEO
Today I met with the faculty and staff in St. Louis to announce an important initiative coming out of the April meeting of the Board of Trustees. I wanted to make sure you received this information as well.
The Trustees recognize the need to rejuvenate existing buildings, construct new facilities, improve pay for faculty and staff, and close our annual budget gap while meeting the current needs of our educational programs. Thus, the Board is tasked with raising funds necessary for achieving these goals.
The highest facility priorities on the St. Louis campus are extensive renovation of the current Middle School and the construction of a new Early Childhood building. These are strong, growing programs that are in need of updated facilities.
The Board has asked Head of School Peter Stevens to proceed with the review and development of architectural plans for the construction of a new Early Childhood building. When the plans are finalized, the Board looks forward to reviewing them and intends to move forward with construction. This work will build on the efforts made several years ago to begin planning for a new Pre-School building.
We also look forward to enhancing the Middle School experience through major renovation of that facility. Design and planning is underway, and the funds are largely in hand.
As we move through this process, let’s remember Mrs. Morgan’s words: “There is a plan for the progress of Principia – God’s plan. It is ours to see and understand, so that we may be in harmony with it. In demonstrating Principia we have tried to see what God’s plan is for Principia. For many years we have taken each step under His guidance. May we now see the further unfolding of God’s plan.” (Education at the Principia, p. 108)
While Principia is daily seeking financial support from a broad range of alumni and friends in the Christian Science community, it seems wise to ask, as Elisha did of the widow woman, “What hast thou in the house?” (II Kings 4:2)
For the last 25 years, the Board of Trustees has periodically reviewed the opportunity to develop a portion of the unused land in St. Louis. On each occasion, the Board rejected that step for a variety of reasons. The time now appears right to revisit the question. Therefore, the Board of Trustees has asked the mayor and other elected officials of Town & Country to join Principia in engaging the local citizenry and our Principia community in discussions about appropriate development of a portion of our unused land.
On Monday, we notified the mayor of Town & Country about our plans to begin this discussion. In a letter the mayor responded, “On behalf of the City of Town & Country, I wish you and the entire Principia community all the best in this effort. Moreover, I applaud The Principia’s commitment to engage all stakeholders in this very significant project through positive and productive communications. Keeping the public informed and soliciting their early and open participation will undoubtedly help The Principia achieve the highest quality revitalization and reutilization of the school grounds.”
Mayor Dalton intends to appoint a task force comprised of members of the Board of Aldermen and area residents as a means of facilitating efficient communication between the school and city.
Drawing on the tradition established by Frederic Morgan and Bernard Maybeck when the College campus was designed in the 1930s, we will seek the input of all community members through invitations to public design charrettes. The term “la charrette” originated in Paris where Maybeck was educated. “Charrette” refers to the carts that architectural students wheeled through the streets of Paris with drawings for presentation to their design professors.
You won’t be seeing any charrettes on the campus road, but we will start the process of listening to the community right away by holding these meetings and inviting your input.
The Trustees have begun to establish a few parameters:
- We would not want to change the look and feel of the campus when you drive the campus road.
- Whatever is built will be top quality so that it reflects well on Principia.
- We will maintain a buffer-zone for the campus and preserve our outdoor classroom. The Board understands how important this is to programs from Pre-School through Upper School.
In our discussions, let's imagine what we can do together to make our community better while making our school better. That must be our goal. Imagine if we could provide increased and improved faculty housing. Imagine if we could help build a community sense in the heart of Town & Country. Imagine if we could help provide more nearby, affordable housing for families moving to Principia. Imagine if we could add purchasing power to our endowment while revitalizing our campus and dramatically reducing our annual budget deficits.
As Mrs. Morgan asked in 1932 during the building of the College, “… have we sufficiently realized that our College is being built out of the materials furnished by each Principian in his daily thinking?” She went further to say, “The great Architect has His plan already drawn….” (Education at the Principia, p. 206-207)
The Board recognizes that land development is, in and of itself, a distraction from our most important goals and responsibilities. However, the Board’s fiduciary duty demands that when opportunities come along to dramatically improve the school’s quality, it is incumbent upon the Board to listen carefully. This appears to be that time.
This opportunity, if successful, could allow us to invest in our facilities, our educational program, and, most importantly, our valued faculty and staff – which are the backbone of a high-quality educational program. The potential is significant enough to dramatically change the financial picture at Principia - for this generation and for future generations. At the same time, we have an opportunity to share our strong sense of community with our Town & Country neighbors.
We invite your metaphysical support for this process.
Sincerely,
Stuart Jenkins
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Date: Jun 9, 2007
From: John Boyman, Hank Hamlin, Margie Hamlin, Doug Hawes, Dawn Larmer, Bob Larsen, Bill Truitt, Char Wachtel.
Joint email: Principia2007@gmail.com
To: The Principia Board of Trustees -- c/o Bill Hays, Chairman: Bill.Hays@prin.edu
William R. Hays, Chairman, Katharine C. Bullock, Helen Ostenberg Elswit, Margaret P. Foerster, Willard M. Hanzlik, William R. Hays III, Stuart E. Jenkins, Catherine A. Raffles, Robert B. Schwentker, Michael T. Sharples, Scott C. Shivers, C.A. Spaulding III, Christopher D. Towle.
Cc. The Resolution Committee -- c/o Doug Gibbs, Chairman: Doug.Gibbs@prin.edu
Doug Gibbs, Chairman, Alice Stanley, Lynne Evans, Bill Hays, Forrest Bless, Nancy Heimerl, Chrissie Sydness, Greg Sandford, Patty Langton, Craig Fredrickson, Helen Elswit, Paula Manker, Dorsie Glen, Linda Bohaker.
Cc. Facilitator -- Jim Reeves: JReeves@cmsystems.us
Cc. President,
Subject: A Time to Act
Dear Principia Board of Trustees,
The time for action has come. We are writing this at a challenging time for Principia. As people who have served for many years in leadership positions at Principia we believe the time has come to speak up. We know yours is a very demanding role and that you take seriously your sacred trust to protect and guide Principia. We value your devoted work to carry this out.
We write as friends and colleagues. We recognize, as we hope you do, that all, everyone, involved in these unfortunate circumstances are good people endeavoring to do their best. But good people are sometimes put in positions where there is not a good fit and sometimes make bad decisions -- even terrible mistakes. It is clear that this is the case with the current CEO. At this time we believe it is our duty as friends to encourage you to make some courageous and wise decisions, just as we expect our students to stand up to their friends when they believe these friends are on the wrong path.
So many in the field hoped for a prompt and decisive conclusion to the unpleasant matters of the past year without having to speak up. Some of us, like they, have been observers quietly and prayerfully supporting Principia; others -- both privately and publicly -- urged the Board to act promptly. In interoffice correspondence on March 28, 2007, you wrote that in a letter to the Board dated January 30, 2007, "Stuart stated that he loved Principia and all the students, faculty, and staff too much to get in the way." Week by week, the way has become clearer. Stuart Jenkins should now be allowed to do what he has offered, and which we strongly believe is right for the organization, to step aside. The Board must accept his resignation without further delay. He should no longer be CEO or a member of the Principia Board. Too much has been exposed of his inappropriate methods as a Principia administrator for him to continue. (See Policy 7 of Purpose and Policies of The Principia).
The Board, like anyone in a contentious situation, could continue to investigate and debate that there are other contributing elements to the problems at Principia. However, final accountability rests at the top, and the longer the Board allows this situation to be drawn out, the more the organization is vulnerable. The impact on Principia's students, student recruitment, parental support, faculty and staff persistence, alumni and donor support, general morale and reputation is incalculable. For many years Principia has been a shining light for the Cause of Christian Science, and to further put this sterling reputation in jeopardy is unnecessary and unwise.
There is a need for rebuilding trust and credibility as quickly as possible. This will only come with a prompt change at the top, the appointment of respected new leadership, and a sound model of governance. With regard to governance we strongly urge you to keep separate the power of the CEO from that of Chairman of the Board as is more common in academic institutions. Events have shown that when one person holds so much power this removes checks and balances that are needed if there are problems. In addition there is no "court of last resort" available to resolve the issues impartially.
Your example right now is critical. Actions of the Trustees and senior administrators speak volumes more than the most eloquent memorandum. You educate by example not only the students but also the faculty and staff, and all who observe Principia. If Principia is to lay any claim to the role of character education, you must demonstrate that even under the most trying circumstances, individuals of character take responsibility for the outcomes of their actions -- not just their intentions.
Principia is urgently in need of the consistent practice of collegiality, of love, of forthrightness, of respect for the faculty and staff, of freedom of expression, of transparency, of representative governance, and of commitment to Christ-like ideals that has marked its history. Progress demands change -- far more than the change of one person. The reversal of the downward spiral of events can and must become the springboard to renewed unity, hope, and progress. Already there are signs in the Principia community of renewed dedication to Principle over person, to unity of purpose in the faculty and alumni, and to transparency and honesty in decision- making. Clearly, this is proof that even the greatest adversity can produce great blessings. However, if the Board is to preserve any credibility, it must exercise its fiduciary role and lead, not follow, this progress by immediately ending this crisis.
Now is the time for the Board to embrace and unite the whole Principia community in bringing about the demands of progress. The impediments to trust and heartfelt communication must be corrected. The mire of recriminations can be prevented only if wise and decisive forward steps are taken. Trust can be rebuilt if you honestly and respectfully engage the great diversity of the Principia community. We have faith that you can accomplish this most urgent task.
If we can provide any assistance to you during this time, please let us know.
Sincerely,
John Boyman -- Former President of Principia College
Hank Hamlin -- Former Director of Publications for Principia
Margie Hamlin -- Former Principia International Student Advisor
Doug Hawes -- Former Principia Trustee
Dawn Larmer -- Former Chairman of the Principia Board of Trustees
Bob Larsen -- Former Principia Financial Development Director
Bill Truitt -- Former Headmaster of the Principia St. Louis Campus
Char Wachtel -- Former Principia Trustee
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